articles of remonstrance

8/12/2019 Articles of Remonstrance

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Article 1

That God, by an eternal and unchangeable purpose in Jesus

Christ his Son, before the foundation of the world, hath

determined, out of the fallen, sinful race of men, to save in Christ,

for Christs sake, and through Christ, those who, through thegrace of the Holy Ghost, shall believe on this his son Jesus, and

shall persevere in this faith and obedience of faith, through this

grace, even to the end; and, on the other hand, to leave the

incorrigible and unbelieving in sin and under wrath, and to

condemn them as alienate from Christ, according to the word of

the Gospel in John 3:36 : He that believeth on the Son hath

everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see

life; but the wrath of God abideth on him, and according to other

passages of Scripture also.

Article 2

That agreeably thereunto, Jesus Christ the Savior of the world,

died for all men and for every man, so that he has obtained for

them all, by his death on the cross, redemption and the

forgiveness of sins; yet that no one actually enjoys this


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forgiveness of sins except the believer, according to the word of

the Gospel of John 3:16 , For God so loved the world, that he

gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life. And in the First

Epistle of John 2:2 : And he is the propitiation for our sins: and

not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Article 3

That man has not saving grace of himself, nor of the energy of his

free will, inasmuch as he, in the state of apostasy and sin, can of

an by himself neither think, will, nor do any thing that is truly good

(such as saving Faith eminently is); but that it is needful that he

be born again of God in Christ, through his Holy Spirit, and

renewed in understanding, inclination, or will, and all his powers,

in order that he may rightly understand, think, will, and effect what

is truly good, according to the Word of Christ, John 15:5 ,

Without me ye can do nothing.

Article 4

That this grace of God is the beginning, continuance, and

accomplishment of all good, even to this extent, that the

regenerate man himself, without prevenient or assisting,awakening, following and cooperative grace, can neither think,

will, nor do good, nor withstand any temptations to evil; so that all

good deeds or movements, that can be conceived, must be

ascribed to the grace of God in Christ, but respects the mode of

the operation of this grace, it is not irresistible; inasmuch as it is

written concerning many, that they have resisted the Holy Ghost.

Acts 7 , and elsewhere in many places.

Article 5

That those who are incorporated into Christ by true faith, and

have thereby become partakers of his life-giving Spirit, have

thereby full power to strive against Satan, sin, the world, and their

own flesh, and to win the victory; it being well understood that it is

ever through the assisting grace of the Holy Ghost; and that

Jesus Christ assists them through his Spirit in all temptations,


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extends to them his hand, and if only they are ready for the

conflict, and desire his help, and are not inactive, keeps them

from falling, so that they, by no craft or power of Satan, can be

misled nor plucked out of Christs hands, according to the Word

of Christ, John 10:28 : Neither shall any man pluck them out of

my hand. But whether they are capable, through negligence, of

forsaking again the first beginning of their life in Christ, of againreturning to this present evil world, of turning away from the holy

doctrine which was delivered them, of losing a good conscience,

of becoming devoid of grace, that must be more particularly

determined out of the Holy Scripture, before we ourselves can

teach it with the full persuasion of our mind.

These Articles, thus set forth and taught, the Remonstrants

deem agreeable to the Word of God, tending to edification,

and, as regards this argument, sufficient for salvation, so that it is

not necessary or edifying to rise higher or to descend deeper.

Phillip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, Volume 3, Baker

Books, Grand Rapids , MI : 1996. Pages 545ff.

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